Setting

Matthew Bown Headteacher St Paul's CofE Primary School Upper Holly Walk Leamington Spa CV32 4JZ

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Primary School, Leamington Spa

Following my visit to your school on 29 June 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Primary School, Leamington Spa

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in March 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary School, Leamington Spa

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:

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Primary School, Leamington Spa

 provide details in the school’s action plans that define who is monitoring and evaluating the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning  set out more measures of success in action plans so that leaders and governors can gauge the impact of actions on pupils’ achievement and make sure that evaluations of teachers’ performance match how well pupils learn and make progress  step up the governing body’s monitoring activities alongside those undertaken by school leaders to gather more first-hand evidence of pupils’ progress and the impact of teaching to hold leaders more to account for the quality of teaching  build on the links established with other schools, including a teaching school alliance, to provide more opportunities for teachers and leaders to see and share good practice. Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

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Primary School, Leamington Spa

www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 679 9163 Direct email : lewis.mackie1@serco.com

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Evidence

In addition to visiting classes with you, meetings were held with you and the acting deputy headteacher to evaluate your action plans and to discuss the actions taken since the school’s inspection in March 2015. Meetings were also held with two representatives of the governing body, including the chair, and I discussed the school’s progress with the local authority’s school improvement adviser. I evaluated the school’s action plans and during discussions with you, the acting deputy headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body, I looked at pupil performance data and updated summary reviews presented to governors about the quality of teaching.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching is improving but is not yet consistently good in all classes. From leaders’ accurate records and assessments of pupils’ progress a significant amount of teaching is judged by the school as of good or better quality. Improvement is evident already as currently, the confirmed teacher assessments in Year 2 and projected test results for Year 6 show marked improvement compared with the disappointing national test results last year. The evaluations made by leaders and the reviews presented to governors about the quality of teaching do not always include sufficient detail about the impact that teaching is having on pupils’ achievement.

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Main findings

Provision in the early years is maintaining the good practice evident at the time of the inspection in March 2015. Across the school, leaders rightly judge that some teaching still requires improvement. There is a good range of monitoring, support and training in place to improve teaching in all classes. Assessment information and data about pupils’ attainment and progress are clear and accessible to staff and governors. The data presents information about the progress and performance of different groups, such as the most able and those eligible for the pupil premium (this is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals). Nonetheless, assessment data presented to governors do not always provide a detailed analysis of the performance of different pupil groups to gauge whether achievement and teaching are improving enough.

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Main findings

Leaders monitor lessons and pupils’ work. The summary reviews and updates on the quality of teaching are useful to governors in particular but do not always explain in sufficient detail how much better or worse pupils’ progress is now compared with previous assessments. The school’s action plans shows that leaders have set out the right priorities for sustained improvement. However, the plans do not always set out enough measures of success to gauge how well teaching is improving. Governors still need to gather more first-hand evidence of the impact of actions being taken to improve pupil achievement and teaching.

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Main findings

Senior leaders, governors and staff with management responsibilities undertake regular monitoring and this is well organised and systematic. However, action plans and summary reviews do not define who is monitoring and who is evaluating the impact of actions taken to improve teaching. This is necessary to provide objective and accurate evaluations of improvement.

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Main findings

A review of governance took place prior to the school’s full inspection in March 2015. The governing body has also been proactive in arranging for an external review of its arrangements to monitor the impact of pupil premium funding. Leaders and staff are responding well to the areas for improvement set out in the March inspection, with particularly good improvements to the presentation of pupils’ work and the accuracy of their writing.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further monitoring inspections and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority is supporting and monitoring the school effectively and has provided light touch support. The school has also been proactive in linking with a teaching school alliance and a potentially fruitful partnership with a local headteacher of a good school. These provide more opportunities for teachers and leaders to see and share good practice, as well as influencing the work of all staff across the school through peer-to-peer reviews, mentoring and coaching.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Warwickshire and the Director of Education of Coventry Diocese.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – including where the school is an academy  Diocese – for voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools

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